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Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Georgia Farm Bureau Farm Monitor reported that there are twice as many peanuts growing in Georgia this year than the last. Now, last year was the smallest crop ever, but we still have a lot of peanuts around here right now.

And these peanuts are causing a small problem in our small town – a wagon shortage.

This old thing is in high demand right now.

This is the parking lot of the local peanut company. All of those trucks are waiting to get a wagon. ONE wagon. And what good does one wagon do? As Brad said, “It’s enough to tick us off.” Meaning: not much!

Farmers dig the peanuts, let them dry out for a few days in the field (unless they are to be used as green peanuts for boiling), and then “pick” them. The wagons are used to transport the picked peanuts from the field to the peanut house. Many farmers (like us) don’t have their own peanut wagons. Some farmers use semis as well, but many still use wagons. And this year, because there are so many peanuts, farmers are waiting in line for wagons.

That’s Leroy, one of our employees, standing up there waiting. He arrived at 5:30am and said that folks were already there asleep in their trucks. This picture was taken at 9am. Wagons (in the background) were just beginning to be taken back to be emptied. Brad said he’s never seen anything like this. Leroy had to put his name on a list for a wagon, and he was sure to tell me that he knew who he was behind – he was going to be ready when it was his turn!

Wagons waiting on peanut testing. They test the moisture, among other things (this is not my area of expertise!).

A farmer bringing peanuts in from the field. Many wagons are needed to transport all the peanuts from just one field to the peanut house.

We’ve still got the majority of our peanuts either on or in the ground, so we’ll have to see what happens with these wagons – there sure are peanuts EVERYWHERE!

Blair, like all children, continues to keep us in absolute stitches on a daily basis. These are notes from August and September.

Lately, one of the most ironic things is that she has taken the phrase, “What in the world is the matter/wrong?” and changed it to “What is the matter with the world?!” It’s so funny to hear her say it!

Straight mess.

She has a new musical obsession: she walks around the house singing the Letter Factory song. She knows all of the letter sounds up to about T. I’m not even trying to teach her; she eats it up and talks about it all the time.

At a buffet for lunch:

B- I’m full!

Okay, Mommy’s gonna go look at the desserts.

B- I want some dessert.

B- Eating chocolate cake. I’m going to eat so it goes down to my yegs!"

Oh you are?!

B- Yes ma’am. I’m full, but I’m gon’ let it go in my yegs.

Are you putting it in your left leg or your right leg.

B- Tilts her head to left while chewing and swallowing. It went to my left yeg!

She slept on her first pallet. She loved it.

She put her hand on Leighton’s belly: “He’s a warm unit.”

When we were at the beach, it was “the ocean has…” when she talked about anything having to do with the beach, condo, etc. She found a booster seat in one of the closets – “The ocean has a chair for me!” Her huge eyes widened when she says stuff like this makes it even better.

“Whatchyou got on so cute?!” What she asks Leighton, Feagan, her baby dolls, and anyone else she thinks looks cute!

She wants her picture taken with Leighton. During August and September, she breaks out under your eyes. We figure it’s allergy-related.

She’s sort of possessive with her blankets:

B- Why you put my blankets in the laundry -- you can’t put my blankets in the laundry!

I’m going to wash them so they’ll be fresh and clean. you don’t want me to wash them?

B- I don’t want them to be fresh. I want them just like they are.

While giving Gus a bath she says, “You bathe his hair.” She points to his head: “This is his hair, and this is his body” as she points to the rest of him (which is obviously also covered in hair!).

According to Blair, one can “burp out of their bottom” and we have to find a “parking place” for the DVDs in the DVD case.

She told her Grandmom, “This is how Gigi doos it.”

She’s still super sweet. While we were outside, she went inside and brought us both water from the house. She fixed the water and brought one out at a time. That same day she brought breakfast to my room – yogurt, a Danactive drink, and blueberries – with a spoon and napkin!

Her favorite songs are Polly Wolly Doodle, The Flying Trapeze, The Lion Tamer, If You’re Happy and You Know it, Put on a Happy Face, and Boom Boom Ain’t it Great to be Crazy. All from Kidsongs, basically the only tv we watch other than the occasional Elmo’s World or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She also likes me to sing “the moon song” and “the sunshine song” to Leighton.

First football game.

Her favorite books right now are Olivia and Olivia Saves the Circus. Imagine that. And she wants to be a Clown and “put on a happy face” when she grows up. We are all things circus right now!

At the beach, she took a trash can from one of the rooms and put it in the bathroom upside down so she could reach the sink.

She loves to wash her hair over the side of the tub. Sometimes, I’ll let her do that, and then she’ll get in the tub for a bath!

-Mama, I need to bend over (the side of the tub - her favorite) and wash my hair tonight in case we don't have time for a bath.

Blair, you need a bath. Your hair is clean; you don't need to wash it.

-No, my hair is not comfortable! We need to wash it!

And she wants to do it by herself! When getting out of the tub she says, “I’m gon’ get out by myself. Go in yonder please.”

She thanked God for the yellow flag during the blessing. Brad asks her: Blair, the yellow flag? Yes sir, in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

She “pets” Leighton. And she “tenders” to him:

Her hair has to be in a bun for dance, so I told her that we would put it in a bun. “Like a hamburger?”

Our friend Sully has hearing aids, and his mom wants to get together with us on Skype for the kids to talk to each other. I told Blair that we were going to talk to Sully on the computer. “Like Elmo or people like you?”

At Gigi’s she told me her orange juice had “crumbs” in it! (I buy low pulp!)

She “taught” Leighton how to play mister.

She counted down the days to her birthday party on the timer on my phone! She loves a birthday! More on that later of course!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

We got to meet Elmo and Grover before the show, and Blair was beside herself. She volunteered to go before some of the other kids who were scared, and she got right up there and gave them five!

On her toes!I just love her face!

When they came out during the opening scene of the show, she was so excited!

The show was so cute. I think she could hear most of it pretty well, and she sang along with the ABC song. Although there were many many children there who were younger than Blair, I think the storyline – even though it was cute - was over even her head because of the action.

The BEST expression!

The characters’ dances were so cute, and everything was so colorful.

Blair loved when they came down into the seats to see her!

She kept yelling to Telly: “TELLY, TELLY, TEEEELLYYYY… Why’s he not speaking to me?!”

Thursday, September 20, 2012

My little man is getting so big! He’s so cuddly and much easier to hold now that he’s not quite so scrunchy (as in newborn). This week marked the age that we brought Blair home from the hospital. It’s so weird that she missed all that time at home. And she was half his size at two months!

He’s wearing size 2 diapers and both 3 and 6 months clothes, depending on the brand. He’s got a roll or two on those little brown legs too!

Crooked little smile.

He’s holding his head up well now, but he still gets tired and bops me in the face with it now and then. He enjoys the activity mat even though our star above it is broken and sort of whines instead of sings. He doesn’t mind tummy time at all. He talks more when he’s on his tummy, too. He also loves his swing and the ceiling fans.

He loves being talked to and wiggles like crazy trying to get some sound out. He manages a coo here and there, but he’s not chatterbox like Blair yet!

Trying to get some sounds out!

He’s a happy little thing for the most part. He turns his head when he smiles though, so it’s hard to get a good picture!

We’ve got a pretty good routine going on lately. We’re still nursing every 2 – 3 hours during the day. He gives me a 5 or 6 hour stretch at night followed by 2 – 3 hour stretches. After feeding him around 7 he usually goes right back down for another hour or so. He usually sleeps with is arms up by his head.

He still sleeps in the swing during the day. He also sleeps really well if he’s been in the car and falls asleep in the car seat. I just bring it in the house and set in on the floor or in his bed until he wakes up! After church one day, Brad had me go check on him because he slept so long in his car seat after we got home!

He loves a bath, and always cries when I take him out. He sleeps well at night in his bed. He’s a sweet little thing. When he’s full and rested, he’ll lie right by himself as quiet as he can be.

This week we had Andad and Grandmom’s birthday party. Leighton got in some good Andad time.

Leighton goes everywhere with me still. After exclusively pumping for 11 months with Blair, I’m sort of lazy about it now. He will take a bottle, and I want to continue that, so we do give him one at home sometimes. But if I can take him with me, I do!

We went to the Braves’ game this week with the Watermelon Association. It was a lot of fun. We went up to the 755 Club so I could feed Leighton, and then we ate a yummy salad. It was a perfect day for baseball – not too hot and cloudy. And the Braves beat the Nationals after a base hit and three walks!

It’s been a fun two months. It’s been a tad tiring, but I’d rather be tired and have him home than sleeping at the Ronald McDonald House waiting on him to come home! I’m so glad we’re figuring each other out and getting a good routine started. Blair has been so good with him, and he loves her too. We have so much to be thankful for!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I make these notes about what Blair says, and we’ve been so busy I’ve delayed in getting them written down in more detail. Then I might forget some, which really irks me. Here are the notes from early summer.

Her spot in the kitchen. On the counter.

She is about 25 pounds. She still naps at 1pm for 2 – 3 hours and wears a diaper at night. She likes puzzles, books, Gus, going to the pond, and her pacilator. (A made up name for her paci clip that holds all of her pacis.) She is doing well except for her first two “asthma attacks” in the middle of the night on 4/22 and 5/7. She coughed and coughed and coughed. We gave her a breathing treatment, and she was better, but both times she needed oxygen afterwards. We went in to the doctor, and her medicine was changed. We haven’t had any more issues. She still drinks Pediasure but eats better if we limit the amount. She also loves water!

She doesn’t like “moo cow” (ground beef) but will eat most any other meat including steak (rare/medium rare like her mama!) as long as it’s “soft.” Whereas her daddy wants everything overcooked, she doesn’t like anything tough!

Picking the moo cow out of her pasta.

Hiding seek is her new thing. She’ll say, “I'll hide and you find me” or “Go hide and I’ll find y’all.” I love how she draws out y’all real slow.

She and her Andad were playing in the office, and she gave him drawing directions with such detail! “Write a tractor. Write a driver. Write a seat – a driver seat.”

She loves Andad!

We started going fishing, and we would run down to the local bait place and get some worms and crickets. The first time we went, they didn’t have any crickets. She told her daddy, “We got worms, but they didn’t have any tickets.”

Her daddy gets all her sugar, and she says, “Give me some back!” and kisses him. So cute.

The chickens live in a chicken "poop"! How true!

She ends many of her little suggestions with “How ‘bout that?”

She’s a tad bossy at times. Imagine that!

We’re always cooking, and lately I’ve let her start cracking eggs. I’m so laid back usually about making a mess in the kitchen, and she certainly can’t hurt a thing learning to crack an egg. So I tell her to crack it on the counter and then put her thumbs on the crack and pull. The first time, she squeezed instead, and the whole egg smashed. So we practiced and I would tell her, “Don’t squeeze. Pull!” Finally, she got better at it, but almost every time she cracks an egg, she asks, “Did i squeeze pull?!”

I have tons of stories about Gus. The child loves the dog more than anything, and he really is like her best buddy. She talks to him like a friend: “Hey Gus! Whatchou been doin’? Playin’?”

Since she got the Kidsongs Circus movie for Easter, she so into the circus. “Gus, are you the lion tamer?”

She says, “I'm lovin’ on m’ dog.” And I CANNOT get her to say it on video.

She tells him to “Load out” of the ranger. (she made this up since we use “load up” to get in the ranger and car.) She also wants to be told to load out of the ranger and the car!

Since I’ve started ordering clothes on Facebook, when we go to the mailbox, she doesn’t mind asking, “What did you get me?” Or if you ask her where she got a certain outfit she says, “The mail gave it to me!” And if she got something she’ll ask, “Where's the baby boy's?”

She and her daddy have a little nighttime thing where she asks, “Wanna walk around for a minute?” And he takes her all over the house giving a “tour” of every room, complete with commentary.

She’s consistent with her No ma'ams etc., and she’ll ask “Can I say ‘yep’ to mommies and daddies?” or “Can I say ‘thanks’ to mommies and daddies?” I don’t know why she thinks she can’t say “thanks,” but she can!

She uses “Arm I?” It’s a mixture of “am” and “are.” I love it.

Figure it out stowa by our house? (I know she said this, but I cannot remember to what she was referring. Ugh!)

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Child of God, wife of a farmer, mom to a miracle, RN; picture taker, animal lover, Spanish speaker, world traveler, former high school teacher. I love food, knitting, blogging, and living in a small town. I write about a little of all of the above!

Brad is my husband of 6 years and the reason I live across the branch. From a very young age he knew he'd be a farmer. God gave him the love and the talent -- and he's the best looking and the best dressed farmer I know! He's funny, creative, and he's the most wonderful husband and father. He's the one that can make Blair light up like no other.

Blair is four! We are so blessed to have her. She was born very sick, but God gave her strength and brought her through it. She has hearing loss called Auditory Neuropathy and wears hearing aids. She also has chronic lung disease, but you wouldn't know by seeing her! She is the busiest, funniest little thing who keeps us laughing and on our toes. I thank God for her every day.

Leighton is the happy roly poly who joined our family this summer. He has been a joy and is as sweet as his big sister! He's such a blessing, and we're so thankful for him!